In a video posted to Twitter and accompanied by a message calling for action and fighting "eco-anxiety," Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a Filipino climate justice activist, admits her dismay.

"Because of all these typhoons and all these floods that ravage my house year after year, getting a little more intense each time, I grew up afraid of drowning in my room," said the 23-year-old. .

Recent extreme weather events - heat waves, floods and forest fires - have changed the lives of many people forever.

Millions of people are already forced to move, sometimes far from home, due to climate change.

But the latter's impact on mental health is just beginning to emerge.

64% of children and young people said governments were not doing enough to avoid a climate catastrophe, shows a new study.

To truly address our growing climate


anxiety, we need justice.

#WeFeelThisToo pic.twitter.com/cHn2tq7qPH

- Mitzi Jonelle Tan #UprootTheSystem (@mitzijonelle) September 15, 2021

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines "eco-anxiety" as "chronic fear of environmental disaster". It is not a mental illness, but rather a rational response to deep uncertainty and, in the most serious cases, it can make it difficult to lead a normal life. And while anyone can experience anxiety about climate change, young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are particularly vulnerable, according to a study recently published in the scientific journal The Lancet.

For the first time, nine researchers from US, UK and Finnish universities observed the effects of large-scale climate anxiety on children and young adults around the world. A total of 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 from Australia, Brazil, the United States, France, Finland, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Portugal and the United Kingdom have participated in this survey.

More than half of them (54%) said their feelings about climate change negatively influenced their daily life. Three-quarters are afraid of the future, with the highest levels of anxiety found among young people from the Philippines, Brazil and India, three countries where the effects of climate change are particularly visible. Almost 60% of young people surveyed say they are extremely worried about climate change and more than 50% say they feel sad, anxious, angry, helpless, helpless and guilty.

Megan Morgan, a 24-year-old Englishwoman, remembers having felt this type of emotion from the age of 7.

“I went to a fairly progressive elementary school and one day, outside speakers came to talk to us about climate change, the landfill sites full to the brim and the melting ice cap. that I realized my own mortality. It was an overwhelming moment for me, "she said.

The "betrayal of present and future generations"

Soon after, Megan Morgan begins to experience panic attacks.

"Every time it rained heavily I would become inconsolable. I couldn't even hear the words 'global warming' without having a knot in my stomach," she recalls.

Today, the young woman still suffers from "eco-anxiety", but this now manifests itself more in the form of stress.

She is worried about the progress of society, which does not take into account the changes necessary to slow down the destruction of the environment.

But most of all, she finds it terrible to feel helpless.

“Sure, I can use metal straws instead of plastic, eat vegan or shop ethically, but next to the oil that ends up in the oceans, it's nothing at all. Nobody is accountable, nothing does not change ", she laments.

For psychologist and researcher Caroline Hickman, we must add the feeling of betrayal to the definition of "eco-anxiety" given by the APA. "It's not just bewilderment in the face of environmental issues. Along with eco-anxiety also come feelings of hopelessness, disillusionment and betrayal by people in power and not taking action," she explains. .

Miguel, a 22-year-old Scottish man, is going through the same thing.

"I learned about environmental problems in school, but I always thought it was something scientists would solve. But as I grew older, I found more more worrying that no action is taken in spite of knowledge more and more advanced on the subject ", underlines it.

What Miguel and Megan talk about echoes what Greta Thunberg calls the "betrayal of present and future generations."

Climate change is not a hypothetical or remote threat.

The world is increasingly aware and informed of its consequences, which will disproportionately affect the youngest.

"Action is the antidote against eco-anxiety"

"It's the older generations who fail to do the right thing for the younger generations. It feels like betrayal and abandonment, Caroline Hickman said. Some of the young people I work with are suicidal because of this betrayal. Not because of the environmental issues, but because they feel devastated that they have been horribly abandoned by political leaders who are supposed to take care of them. "

The researcher explains that this feeling of betrayal can cause psychological injuries. It starts with the loss of confidence in all the institutions that are supposed to deal with society. While the adults may have had more experiences and become "hardened" by the various betrayals of life, the younger ones are in the midst of a transition, having just left childhood and its need for connection, trust and confidence. of security.

Elouise Mayall, a researcher and environmentalist at the University of East Anglia, UK, believes it is vital that politicians be emotionally intelligent about climate change. "Having cold, rational leaders does not advance a situation that has a lot to do with psychology and emotions. We are talking about young people who experience feelings such as grief or fear, not robots," he says. -she. Acknowledging mistakes and apologizing may seem symbolic, but Elouise Mayall believes it could help younger generations feel heard.

For his part, Miguel believes that "action is the antidote against eco-anxiety".

He wants to see governments and other parties involved as well as companies profiting from fossil fuels to be held accountable for their decisions.

Same feeling with Megan, who would like the betrayal to change sides.

"I want to be confident enough to tell myself that the people in power care about our habitat and are doing what they can to find solutions to save it and implement them quickly. I want them to act. now. Not in 2025 or 2030. Now! "

Adapted from the English by Romain Brunet.

The original article can be found here.

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR